


Hatsukoi

by sparklyfaerie



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, non-massacre, or 'puppy love', the title means 'first love'
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-03-01 22:28:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13304655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparklyfaerie/pseuds/sparklyfaerie
Summary: Sasuke leans away as the girl turns to him, and his mother doesn't need to be any closer to guess as to the expression on his face. The girl's body language changes in an instant, and Mikoto recognises the posture of a little girl in love. It's kind of adorable.





	1. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything associated with it. All rights to Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto and the other proper entities.

**Chapter One**

Sasuke is mutely horrified when his mother mentions inviting his genin squad for tea when he gets home after Kakashi's bell test. He stares at Mikoto in disbelief after she has gently wheedled a promise out of him to extend her invitation the next time his squad is assembled, as if just realising what he has agreed to. Itachi chuckles to her left, and she is amused as her youngest almost  _flees_ to his bedroom. Regardless, Mikoto hums to herself in satisfaction, knowing that her son will not go back on his promise. It might take him a while to act on it, but he'll invite them eventually.

She reminds him of said promise two days later, watching the way he freezes when she brings it up at breakfast. Sasuke makes a noncommittal noise.

"And your sensei is…?" Fugaku, who has been out of the village for the past week, prods. He arrived late in the night, and has not yet caught up on the events in his youngest's life. He had not been present for his graduation day, which she knew had hurt the boy, despite the fact that he hadn't uttered a word of complaint.

"Hatake Kakashi." Sasuke answers promptly, as his father has trained him from birth.

Fugaku nods in approval. Sasuke eyes him with a question, but doesn't get a chance to ask it before Itachi is pointing out the time; Sasuke will be late for his very first mission if he doesn't leave soon. After his brother is out the door, Itachi muses to himself, "It'll be good for him to have friends his own age."

Mikoto privately agrees, though Fugaku shoots him a look loaded with disapproval. As far as her husband is concerned, Shisui's and Itachi's ages aren't an impediment to their being appropriate company for his youngest, despite the fact that they are both grown men. Mikoto recognises the need for training, but it would be nice if Sasuke was able to have fun like a normal boy once in a while. She had tolerated Fugaku's military-like monopolisation of Itachi's time as a child, due to his position as heir to the clan, but she has always wanted her second son to have as normal a childhood as possible.

* * *

She isn't surprised that Sasuke hasn't extended her invitation yet. It has been a week since he was assigned to Team 7, and though Sasuke doesn't utter a word of complaint to anyone but his elder brother, she knows that he is frustrated.

She had been wistful when she learned that Kushina's son was placed on the same team, remembering their old wish for their sons to become friends. Uzumaki Naruto has clearly inherited his mother's temper, she thinks fondly as she watches her son and the blonde argue down by the riverbank. They're cleaning trash out of the water today. They haven't noticed her watching them from the bridge yet, and she allows a smile to creep along her face as she watches Naruto try to dunk Sasuke under the water and get thrown at least five feet for his trouble.

She doesn't notice the single kunoichi on the team immediately, which is surprising given her colouring. The pink-haired girl enters her field of view as she stalks over to the bickering boys and smacks Naruto upside the head. Sasuke leans away as the girl turns to him, and his mother doesn't need to be any closer to guess as to the expression on his face. The girl's body language changes in an instant, and Mikoto recognises the posture of a little girl in love.

It's kind of adorable.

"They're a pain in the ass." She had sensed Kakashi approach her. He comes to stand at her side, finger keeping his place in whatever novel he is reading as he follows her gaze.

Mikoto looks at him askance. "It must be hard for you," she ventures, "to train Namizake-sama's son." She knew that Naruto's father had been Kakashi's own sensei as a child.

Kakashi snorted. "He reminds me more of Kushina." He admitted.

Mikoto's smile returns. "He does seem to have a temper."

"So does that boy of yours."

Mikoto sniffs, motherly pride wounded. Still, she agrees with the sentiment. An entire childhood living in the shadows of literal geniuses and fighting tooth and nail for his father's approval has left her son somewhat unhappy. No matter that he was advanced compared to his own agemates, Sasuke still lived with an elder brother who was being groomed for ANBU at the same age that he himself had managed to graduate from the academy, whose best friend had awakened the mangekyō sharingan at the tender age of eleven.

"Actually, so does the girl. All three of them are prone to bickering." Kakashi muses conversationally. "It's a miracle they passed Minato-sensei's test. I should have sent them back to the Academy."

"They're children." Mikoto dismisses it with a wave of the hand. "They'll grow out of it with time."

"Maybe." He allows, looking at her from his one visible eye. She imagines the red of the sharingan peering at her from under the hitai-ate slanted across his face, and feels a pang at the thought of Obito. She had barely known him, but his sister has become a good friend in recent years, and she misses her brother very much. "What can I do for you?" He asks cheerfully. "I can't imagine you came all this way just to watch a bunch of genin splash in the water."

Mikoto laughs a little. "Actually, I was just passing on my way to the markets when I noticed the boys in the river." She admits. "Although, while I've got you here, I was hoping to invite you and the children over for tea when your mission is over. I asked Sasuke to extend the invitation last week, but knowing him he's not gotten around to it yet."

Kakashi shakes his head. "They won't be fit to visit the Uchiha main house this afternoon. They'd track mud all over the tatami." He remarks. "I can angle for a less messy mission next time, though." He shrugs.

"That would be lovely." Mikoto nods.

* * *

Kakashi is conspicuously absent when Sasuke grudgingly brings his teammates to the family home the next week. He shoots his mother an expression of such pure  _betrayal_  that she almost laughs in his face as she welcomes their guests.

Naruto is almost exactly like Kushina had been at twelve; all mouth and very little practical talent to back it up. She smiles fondly as she shepherds the children to the family's sitting room. Naruto has already picked a fight with Sasuke about something or other that happened on the mission, and Mikoto gently reprimands her son when he bites back. Naruto, clearly, just wants attention. She hasn't seen much of him over the years, but she remembers when word got out that Kushina was a jinchūriki—it's likely he's suffered just as much isolation and mistrust as his mother had. Only, for the son, there has clearly been no kind Minato who looked beyond all of that.

She feels a little shame when he smiles at her for defending him. If it hadn't been for the Hokage's decree that Naruto's parentage and status as the vessel of the kyūbi was to remain a secret to the boy, she might have kept more of an eye out for her friend's son. No matter  _what_  her husband thought. Fugaku still wasn't impressed that Naruto had been put on Sasuke's team; old prejudices died hard.

The girl, Sakura, is plainly trying to be on her best behaviour. She sits straight, sips at her tea, and speaks only when spoken to, though Naruto is clearly causing her some internal strife as he prattles on, informing Mikoto of her son's aloof behaviour on missions. Mikoto asks her questions about her family and finds out she's a second generation shinobi, though her parents never made it past genin. She seems a smart, sweet girl, and Mikoto likes her. The genin's eyes keep flicking to Sasuke, who is seated on her left, and her cheeks flush when he catches her. The fact that she's utterly besotted with him warms Mikoto's heart, even as it makes her son uncomfortable.

And Sasuke clearly  _is_  uncomfortable, but manners prevent him from leaving. Instead, he sits utterly still and tries to disappear on the spot, and Mikoto lets him be. Sasuke is more comfortable around members of the clan, like his brother or his older cousins. Being forced to interact with the village at large will be good for him, but it will be some time before he drops the broody attitude he drapes around himself like armour.

"Ah, Shisui told me we had company this afternoon."

Itachi strolls into the room carrying a shopping bag an hour into the visit, and Sasuke's posture visibly relaxes. He shifts over to make room for his brother, but is utterly scandalized when Itachi chooses the empty spot on Sakura's left, sitting between her and Naruto. "You must be Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan. I'm Itachi, Sasuke's brother." He says as he rummages through his purchases, nodding at them both in turn. He places two boxes of dango on the table, within reach of everyone. "I thought I'd pick up a little something for our guests, Okaa-san. I know you don't approve of too many sweets, but it  _is_  a special occasion, after all."

Sasuke wrinkles his nose at the offering, and Itachi raises an eyebrow. He knows Sasuke doesn't like sweets. But the other two children chorus their thanks and tuck in—Naruto with far more gusto than Sakura—and nothing more is said. Mikoto has the distinct impression that Itachi has just ingratiated himself to Naruto for the rest of his life, if the way he lights up when Itachi ruffles his hair is any indication. Sasuke makes an unhappy noise but says nothing.

The next hour passes pleasantly, and the sun is just beginning to set when Mikoto makes Sasuke walk their guests out to the main gate of the Uchiha compound. Itachi is grinning in a mischievous way that she seldom sees on his face anymore, but the reason for his amusement isn't addressed until a sulky Sasuke returns.

The younger brother is dutifully helping their mother clear away the tea things when Itachi begins conversationally, "So. It appears you have an admirer, little brother."

Mikoto laughs outright at the embarrassed blush creeping up the back of Sasuke's neck. "She's lovely, Sasuke." She says kindly. "And Naruto seems… spirited."

"Naruto is an idiot." Sasuke grits his teeth. "And  _she's_ … annoying." He marches into the kitchen without another word, and the sound of the faucet being turned on tells them that he won't return for a little while yet.

"High praise." Itachi remarks casually to his mother, who laughs again.


	2. Chapter Two

Kakashi sits across from Mikoto and Fugaku the morning Team Seven return from their first mission away from the village, posture upright but relaxed in a confident manner. Sasuke is seated at his side, back rigid and eyes focused on the table as his sensei dispassionately recounts the story of their time in the Land of Waves. What had been presented as a fairly straightforward C-Rank mission had quickly snowballed into an A-Rank, and her son and his squad had all very nearly died.

Fugaku is radiating pride in that near-undetectable way of his as Kakashi tells them how Sasuke almost single-handedly defended his teammates in the initial ambush against two chūnin, and how his quick thinking and willingness to follow Naruto's lead saved his sensei's life in the second against a rogue jōnin. Sasuke sits still straighter when Kakashi brings up his newly awakened sharingan, and she can sense his pleasure at the fact that he has finally accessed the clan's kekkei genkai.

"In short, Sasuke was invaluable to the success of the mission." Kakashi concludes. "His martial skills have shown considerable improvement over our short time together, and his capacity for teamwork has grown… exponentially." Sasuke's brow twitches, and Mikoto knows he's caught the hidden meaning behind his sensei's words. He's never had to work with others before; the clan tends to train its young shinobi combatively. "However, I wish to apologise for the dangerous position that my decisions as squad leader has placed him in." He nods his head respectfully to the boy's father.

"Nonsense." Fugaku huffs. "The boy is fine."

Mikoto offers Kakashi tea, which he politely declines, muttering something about visiting the Haruno household, and he sees himself out. When the door closes behind him, Itachi—who is seated between Mikoto and Sasuke—turns to his brother. "Well?" He prods, pride obvious in his voice. "Show us."

Sasuke closes his eyes and frowns for a moment. When he opens them, they are red, with a single tomoe in each iris.

"You will have to learn to activate it without closing your eyes, and how to use it efficiently." Fugaku says at once, and Mikoto sees some of the confidence bleed out of Sasuke's posture. The red is clouded over by black, and Sasuke's eyes return to normal as he looks back down at his lap and nods. "Itachi, you will teach him. When you are unavailable, it will be Shisui."

"Yes, Otou-san."

Sasuke shifts almost imperceptibly, and Mikoto knows that he wants his father to be the one to teach him. As much as he wants to spend time with his brother, he  _craves_  his father's attention. But he knows better than to complain.

"We may as well start sooner than later." Itachi reaches over and pokes Sasuke in the forehead, in their old childhood gesture of affection. "Meet me in the back garden in an hour. I have an errand to run first." Sasuke nods.

Satisfied that everything is settled, Fugaku leaves to begin his day at the police headquarters, and Itachi heads off on his errand, leaving mother and youngest son alone in the sitting room.

"I'm proud of you, Sasuke." She says into the silence, and the boy looks up at her incredulously. "And so is your father, even if he doesn't say it. Now, why don't you go unpack and take a bath while your brother is out? Leave your laundry in the hamper and I'll do it for you this afternoon."

"Thanks." He mumbles, and she isn't sure whether he's referring to her suggestion, or her praise.

* * *

The boys are sitting cross-legged on the engawa, facing each other when Mikoto next sees them. Itachi is explaining the ins and outs of the sharingan and how to activate and maintain it in low tones, and Sasuke is listening with rapt attention. She doubts she has ever seen him concentrate on anything harder; the desire to please his father is so strong.

She leaves them be while she does her housework. She remembers the sharingan training well; now, all members of their household have activated it, and the pride that swells within her for  _both_  of her boys is spoiled only by the knowledge that the awakening of a sharingan is painful for the heart. Sasuke is lucky that his did not require the death of a loved one to activate, but rather came about in a desperate attempt to save himself and Naruto. Her own had required far more blood and a dead best friend at the age of fifteen, and she shies away from the memory, shaking her head as she hangs wet clothing to dry.

She spies a flash of pink hair outside while tidying up after lunch, when Itachi has taken Sasuke out to one of the clan's training grounds to practice imitation with the sharingan. Sakura is headed for the house, and Mikoto's curiosity is piqued. Neither of Sasuke's teammates has been over since that first visit, and she wonders what has brought her. The girl is poised to knock when Mikoto opens the door, gaping like a fish out of water in surprise.

"I saw you coming from the kitchen window." She smiles down at the girl. "Come on in."

"I, er," she stammers, pink dusting her cheeks, "I just came to see how Sasuke-kun is doing." She looks down at her feet and shuffles nervously in the genkan. "He got hurt pretty bad back in Wave Country, so…"

Mikoto beckons her inside once again, and the girl obliges. "He's doing just fine, but thank you for coming to check on him." She leads Sakura into the sitting room. "He's out training with his brother at the moment, but since you came all this way, let me make you some tea."

Sakura balks. "Oh, no, I couldn't possibly—"

"I insist." Mikoto puts a hand on the girl's back and steers her to the table. "Maybe you can tell me more about what happened. Your sensei was quite vague on some details, and I haven't had a chance to speak to Sasuke properly yet."

In the end, Sakura relents, and Mikoto makes them both tea. Remembering that the girl likes sweets, she digs out a small serving of wagashi—it belongs to Itachi, but she knows her eldest won't mind her offering it to Sasuke's friend. Like her youngest, Mikoto is not fond of sweets, so there are almost none in the house, but Itachi has a terrible sweet tooth.

Sakura beams with delight at the sight of them. "They're adorable!" She exclaims, picking one up and examining it.

Mikoto smiles indulgently while she pours the tea. The sweets  _are_  cute, and judging by the face Sakura makes when she bites into one, they taste good. "So, tell me about your mission?" She asks as she slides a cup of tea toward the girl.

Sakura begins hesitantly. It's clear she's walked away from the mission shaken; she feels she really contributed nothing of value. She stayed with the client while the boys had done all the dangerous work, and Mikoto is quick to assure her that she did the right thing. "The most important thing is the mission was successful, yes?" She reminds her. "Besides, none of you should have been on an A-rank mission in the first place, so it's no wonder that it would be out of your league for now. And it's often just that way in other higher-ranked escort missions, anyway. One or two will stay to protect the client while the others do battle." At Sakura's wide-eyed stare, Mikoto chuckles. "I was a shinobi before my marriage; I've done my share of escorting people across the borders."

Sakura chews her lip, looking unconvinced, and the woman wants to comfort the child. She's only just beginning as a genin, and while both the boys on her team, from what Mikoto understands, have aptitude for combat, Sakura does not feel she does. "Your sensei said that Sasuke was the second to master tree walking." She changes tracks. "I assume that the first one was you?" Sakura nods, muted pride on her face at the mention of her small accomplishment. "That takes incredible chakra control, to get it so quickly. Most genin will be practicing for a few days before they manage to do it."

"I got it on the first go." Sakura preens a little. "Sasuke-kun and Naruto took three days."

"See?" Mikoto nods at her. "You have your strengths, just like the others. What you  _can_  do is learn to capitalise on them, and strengthen the areas you feel are lacking." In a conspiratorial voice, she leans forward and stage-whispers, "When I first started out, I threw a mean shuriken, but I was  _hopeless_  at strategizing."

Sakura giggles appreciatively as the front door is slid open, and Itachi's voice heralds the return of he and his brother. Almost immediately, Sakura's eyes whip to the open shōji, just in time to see a sweaty and exhausted Sasuke step into her line of sight.

The boy freezes when he sees his teammate seated before his mother. "What are  _you_  doing here?" He demands sharply, and Sakura shrinks a little. Itachi has appeared behind him, curious eyes on Sakura.

Mikoto frowns at her son. "She came to see you, Sasuke." She chides. "She was worried about you after your fight in Wave Country."

Sasuke sniffs in disdain, looking away. "Whatever. I'm going to change." He stalks out of sight without a backward glance.

Sakura is obviously hurt. "I should go." She scrambles to her feet and bows to her host. "Thank you for the tea and sweets, Uchiha-san."

"You're very welcome." She tells the girl sincerely. "Thank you for coming to check on Sasuke."

"Have a good afternoon, Sakura-chan." Itachi pats her shoulder as she passes him, and Sakura gives him a shaky smile before seeing herself out. Then, he turns to his mother. "That was rude of him." He observes as he takes Sakura's vacated seat, popping the leftover piece of wagashi in his mouth.

Mikoto sighs, retrieving two more cups from the kitchen and returning to pour Itachi and Sasuke a serving each. The tea isn't quite hot anymore, but it's still pleasantly warm. She pours herself a cup, and she and Itachi wait in silence until Sasuke reappears in the hall.

"Sasuke, come here." She calls him, in a tone that allows for no arguments. He flinches, but obeys, sitting by his brother's side and reaching for his tea. "That was rude." She reprimands sharply. "Your friend was worried. It was very nice of her to come see you."

"She's  _not_  my friend." Sasuke clearly wants to roll his eyes. "She's annoying."

"Caring for one's teammates is a strength." Itachi stares down his brother, disapproving. "And you will have to learn to deal with many types of personalities during your career as a shinobi. Those who are not flexible inevitably fail." Sasuke visibly flinches at the iron in his brother's tone. Itachi rarely scolds his brother.

"You need to make more of an effort." Mikoto tells him firmly. "You don't have to  _like_  someone to work with them. Just be cordial."

"You don't see the way she hangs off of me during missions." Sasuke is surly. "She's like a—"

"She wants your attention." Itachi sighs. "Honestly, little brother, are you so ignorant of girls that—"

"I know that!" Sasuke snaps, glaring at his brother. "But it's a pain in the—"

"Sasuke!" He flinches at his mother's tone. "You will apologise to Sakura-san tomorrow when you see her for training."

Sasuke is wide-eyed. "But—!"

"No buts." She says sternly. "I raised you to be better than this." Her tone is heavy with disapproval.

Sasuke huffs an indignant sigh. " _Fine_." He snarls. "May I be excused?"

* * *

The next morning, much to Sasuke's mortification, Mikoto walks with him to the bridge to meet his team on her way to the market. The boy has a light dusting of pink on his cheeks when they stop in the middle of the bridge, and she pushes him forward expectantly after exchanging greetings.

He shoots her a  _look_  before muttering to a point somewhere to the left of Sakura's sandals, "Sorry about yesterday." He offers no context, but it will do.

By the look on Sakura's face, it's more than enough. "It's okay." She blushes. "You were tired. I understand."

"Wait!" Naruto chortles. "Teme, is… is your Kaa-chan  _making_  you apologise?" He laughs uproariously, causing an embarrassed flush to creep up Sasuke's neck and turn his ears pink. But with his mother there, Sasuke reigns in his temper. Barely.

Fortunately, Sakura does no such thing. She thumps the blonde boy on the head so hard he falls over. "Shut  _up_!" She hisses.

If at all possible, Mikoto likes her more.


	3. Chapter Three

Mikoto has never been prouder of Sasuke. She watches him standing beneath the trees outside the training ground that had been used for the second phase of the chūnin exams, surrounded by his team, and her heart swells with it.

"They spent five days together, huh?" Itachi chuckles at her side. "I'm surprised he and Naruto-kun survived each other."

Indeed, the blonde boy is fairly frothing at the mouth; it's clear to see that whatever truce they'd had in the forest is over. As she and Itachi draw near, she hears Naruto complain that Sasuke had been insufferable and selfish for the past few days. Sasuke responds with something that they can't quite catch, and Naruto is incensed.

Sakura holds him back when he tries to lunge at Sasuke. "Honestly, what are  _you_  upset about?" She snaps. "At least you made it through the preliminaries. I didn't even  _make_  it to the third stage!"

Indeed, Mikoto had heard that there had been preliminary battles to decide who moved on to the next stage. It hadn't happened for several years, but it wasn't unheard of.

"You'd better train hard. I want to knock you out of the tournament personally." Sasuke shifts his weight as he leans out of Naruto's reach when he breaks free of Sakura's hold. A blur of blue and orange later, and Naruto is face-down in the dirt, his arms twisted painfully behind his back. Sasuke is crouching over him, holding him down. "If you're not careful I'll leave you behind."

Naruto quits his snarling and thrashing when he notices them arrive, and Sasuke releases him. Slowly, Naruto climbs to his feet and dusts himself off. He pouts, crossing his arms and turning away from the group.

"Congratulations, Sasuke." Mikoto reaches for him and, uncaring that they're in public, hugs him. It's brief, but when she releases him, she can see his face is pink beneath the dirt smudges. "You did so well."

Kakashi addresses Itachi. "I understand you'll be wanting to train Sasuke for the third stage yourself," he says, sounding bored, "but I have a trick or two I want to teach him beforehand, if you can spare him."

"Of course." Itachi nods. "I'm not his keeper, after all. We can work on our own outside your training sessions."

"Hey, what about me?!" Naruto demands of Kakashi, affronted. "Sasuke already has an entire  _clan_  to teach him." He complains, loudly. "Everyone can't get over him. Sasuke this, Sasuke that. It's not fair."

Sasuke sighs in annoyance. "Did he say he wasn't going to train you too? Just because you're useless—" Naruto is on him again, furious. Sasuke, taken by surprise, takes a fist to the jaw before moving to defend himself, stepping away from his mother to draw the fight away from her.

" _Enough_." Kakashi grabs them both by the collar, holding them apart. "In case you've forgotten, you two are still a part of the same team. Naruto," He narrows an eye at the boy in orange, "It's not Sasuke's fault that he has people to train him in his off time. And Sasuke," he directs his attention to the dark-haired boy, "stop provoking Naruto. You're both headed toward the third phase, and you will be prepared equally. Understood?"

Both boys give surly nods, and he releases them.

Mikoto frowns at the pained look on Sakura's face as she looks up at her sensei. Judging from the stories that Sasuke brings home, Sakura's training has been severely neglected. She has no way to know for certain, but if what she infers is true, then Sakura has been left completely behind, and will continue to be so until after the exams. Granted, the boys' training will be a bit more urgent, to prepare for the third stage, but it still isn't fair.

Still, she says nothing. She's never actually watched them train; it isn't her right to criticise.

* * *

Fugaku doesn't make it home for their celebratory dinner. He gives no  _real_  excuse, sending word that he's simply up to his eyes in paperwork and can't really leave it another night.

Mikoto is irritated on Sasuke's behalf. Almost everyone is here; Itachi, Shisui, and Sasuke's teammates are seated around the table, chattering animatedly and smiling happily. Kakashi had had other plans already, though Sasuke had told her earlier, exasperated, that he just didn't want to show them what he looked like under the mask. Apparently, it was something of a running joke for the team.

No wonder he'd never wanted to stay for tea.

Sakura is seated between Shisui and Itachi, blushing as they ply her with sweets. The girl keeps playing with the ends of her hair, now shorn off above her shoulders after a mishap in the forest with a  _katon_  that Sasuke hasn't fully explained. She's laughing at some joke of Shisui's, and Mikoto hides her smile behind her glass when she sees Sasuke scowling at them. Itachi catches her eye, and winks, telling her that the two of them know  _exactly_  what they are doing.

Naruto is seated on Shisui's other side, and asks enthusiastic questions about the ANBU and A-rank missions. The older shinobi humour him, telling their mildest stories, and Naruto's enthusiasm grows. Soon, he's shouting that he's going to become the strongest shinobi in the village, and extracts laughing promises of duels from them for when he's stronger.

"You'll never beat Shisui or Nii-san." Sasuke derides him. "Especially if you're still losing to  _me_."

"Yeah, well,  _you_  can't beat them either!" Naruto snipes back, smile replaced by a scowl.

"I'll match them one day." Sasuke appears unconcerned. "It's just a matter of time."

"Right, cause that's what training's for." Sakura pipes up. "Naruto, you need to train hard, too, or you'll be left totally behind! The third stage is full of tough opponents."

"Right, Sakura-chan!" Naruto pumps his fist into the air. "And Sasuke-teme, don't slack off. You have to face me so I can knock you out of the running!"

"You'll be the one knocked out. I'll leave you in the dust no matter what." Sasuke leans back with a smirk, ignoring Naruto's loud protests. The blonde moves to lunge at him, but Shisui holds him back with a laugh, and Naruto complains.

It's the liveliest the house has been in a while, now. Neither of her sons are particularly rambunctious, so the house is usually serene, but Mikoto remembers when Sasuke had been young and full of smiles. He had been the heart of the household, boisterous and cheerful, adored by all of his family, whether obviously or from a distance. She sighs internally as the thought that her husband's lack of obvious approval for the boy has hurt him. Granted, it's driven him to put his all into his training, but that gentle happiness he'd had as a little boy has bled out of him. It's a shame.

He seems at ease now, though, she notes, despite the dark looks he occasionally sends his brother and cousin. Mikoto knows that, in his own way, he sees Naruto and Sakura as friends. They're the first he's had outside the clan since he was a very small child, and it makes Mikoto happy.

Sakura is still stealing looks at Sasuke when he's not looking, and it clearly amuses Itachi to no end. If Sasuke's complaining is to be believed, her crush is still in full force, and it irritates him. But, he had said the day of the first stage of the chūnin exams, she isn't the worst of the girls that follow him around. There's a girl from the Yamanaka clan, apparently, that throws herself at him every chance she gets. Mikoto gets the sense that it's all harmless enough, for now, but she almost laughs to herself every time she thinks about how it will be when they all begin to contend with hormones.

Poor Sasuke.

* * *

Later, when it's dark outside and Shisui has graciously offered to walk Naruto and Sakura home, Sasuke and Itachi begin to clear up after dinner. She smiles as they pile bowls and plates onto the serving trays and take them away, allowing herself to relax.

Fugaku arrives while the boys are washing up, and she rises to greet him in the hall. After an evening of lively company and good cheer, the house is quiet, and she welcomes him with a kiss on the cheek and a quiet hello.

"Where is Sasuke?" He asks immediately.

"Helping Itachi clean the dishes."

He strides past her and into the kitchen; she trails behind curiously, and enters the kitchen to find both sons staring at their father. Fugaku considers his youngest for a moment, before planting a hand on his shoulder. Sasuke's eyes widen a fraction. Itachi raises his eyebrows in surprise, but makes no sound.

"You did well." Fugaku says quietly. Then, awkwardly, he pats Sasuke's shoulder before leaving the room and heading toward the bathroom to wash up. Sasuke stares after him in shock, and Mikoto beams.


End file.
